Comparison of Refreshment Allowances for the 2025 Federal Election: Which City Pays Election Volunteers the Most?
- Gisma University of Applied Sciences analyzes refreshment allowances for the early federal election in February
- Mannheim offers the highest remuneration for election workers with an expense allowance of 100 euros
- Münster pays the lowest amount at just 25 euros
Berlin, 13. January 2025 – The refreshment allowances for the early federal elections in 2025 differ significantly from municipality to municipality. A recent analysis by the Gisma University of Applied Sciences (www.gisma.com) shows that the amounts vary by up to 75 euros in the 29 most populous cities in Germany.
Mannheim takes the lead
In Germany, the Federal Election Code recommends compensating election workers with a refreshment allowance of at least 25 euros. However, many cities opt for higher payments in order to adequately honour the commitment of volunteers. At the top of the ranking is the city of Mannheim, where both ballot box and postal voting assistants receive 100 euros each. Berlin and Dortmund follow in second place, compensating ballot box assistants with 100 euros and postal vote assistants with 80 euros. In Bielefeld, the remuneration for both functions is 80 euros, while in Essen, polling assistants receive 80 euros and postal voting assistants 60 euros.
In Stuttgart, also excluded from the ranking, the remuneration is slightly different: here, an hourly wage of 13 euros is paid, which means that polling assistants can earn a maximum of 104 euros per day. However, this regulation differs from the flat-rate remuneration in other cities.
Münster at the lower end of the remuneration scale
In Münster, ballot box assistants and postal voting assistants only receive the recommended 25 euros, which puts the city at the bottom of the ranking. The situation is similar in Chemnitz. Here, polling assistants are paid 35 euros and postal voting assistants 30 euros. The city of Hamburg pays its polling assistants in both categories 35 euros. In Mönchengladbach, ballot box assistants receive 40 euros, while postal voting assistants are only paid 35 euros. In the cities of Bochum, Bonn and Hanover, both ballot box assistants and postal voting assistants receive 40 euros for their work.
Differentiated tasks and responsibilities of poll workers
The smooth running of an election is based on the coordinated deployment of various groups of poll workers, whose tasks and responsibilities differ significantly. Poll workers form the backbone of the election process at polling stations. Their work begins early in the morning, typically at 8 a.m., and continues throughout the entire election day until the votes are counted in the evening. They are directly responsible for the conduct of the election: they check eligibility to vote, accept ballot papers and monitor the entire voting process to ensure the integrity of the democratic process. Postal voting assistants, on the other hand, have a different range of tasks in terms of time and content. Their work focuses primarily on counting postal votes, which usually only begins in the afternoon of election day. This activity requires precise documentation and careful checking of the postal ballot documents received.
Prof. Dr. Ramon O’Callaghan, President of Gisma University of Applied Sciences, comments on the results: “Poll workers on about 90,000 electoral boards in Germany constitute the most important pillar of the electoral procedure ensuring that elections are conducted properly. Their task is a key element for the integrity of the democratic electoral process. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly challenging to find enough poll workers – a circumstance that has led to an increase in refreshment allowances in many places. It is crucial to recognize this voluntary work through appropriate remuneration and social recognition in order to continue to ensure the high quality of the elections.”